Accordingly, Erling Haaland was honored by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) as the best player of 2023. The Norwegian striker scored 208 points, far ahead of second-ranked Kylian Mbappe (PSG). , 105) as well as Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, 88).
This is a worthy reward for a spectacular year for Haaland, who with Man City won a treble of winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup. On a personal level, the former Dortmund player also achieved extraordinary results when he scored 52 goals in 53 matches for Man City in the 2022/23 season, and broke the Premier League record with 36 goals.
2023 Golden Ball winner Messi is only ranked third, more than 100 points behind Haaland. Rodri is even equal in points with Messi after playing a key role in helping Man City win almost every title this year.
In the IFFHS women’s category, Aitana Bonmati achieved the highest score to be recognized as the 2023 Best Player. She is only the third Spanish player to win this honor after Pernille Harder (2020) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and 2022).